US Dominates Arms Trade as Asia, Mid-East Boost Imports

The global transfer of major arms has risen in recent years, with the United States increasing its dominance of the trade while the flow of weaponry to Africa, Asia and the Middle East has increased, a new study published Monday showed.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report, the volume of international transfers of major weapons — including sales and donations — was 14 percent higher in 2011-2015 than over the five previous years, with the US and Russia doing most of the exporting.

The biggest importers were India, Saudi Arabia, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). […]